The present invention relates to automatic egg washing and more particularly to an improved automatic egg washing machine for washing eggs including soiled eggs smoothly and effectively and at high speeds.
Egg washing machines are already known, such as that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,503 to Classen dated Nov. 23, 1971, where eggs are moved through a washer on roller-type or similar conveyors. The machine of the present invention is an improvement upon these prior mechines as it provides a better wash, particularly for badly soiled eggs, and as it performs the wash with a smooth washing action requiring less power and which is adapted for direct coupling to a related machine such as an egg breaking or other machine. The reduced power requirement and the more effective brush and washing nozzle arrangement permit such a direct drive and therefore also provide for an effective and simple synchronizing action between the washer speed and the particular operating speed of the coupled egg breaker or other egg processing machine.
The improved egg washing machine, in accordance with the present invention, employs diagonally oriented brushes mounted on a simplified brush height adjusting means beneath a spray wash arrangement of square pattern washing nozzles.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved automatic egg washing machine.
Another object of the invention is to provide a brush operated egg washing machine having reduced brush drive power requirements.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved egg washer brush driving and mounting arrangement which is precisely and easily adjusted and which passes egg mid-lines at the extreme end of each stroke for brush reversal on intermittently moving conveyors.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved wash nozzle lay-out in an automatic egg washing machine incorporating square washing patterns.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic egg washer incorporating a simplified brush drive arrangement adapted for being coupled to another egg processing machine.
Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.